Trooper faces 3 trials for charges of attacking 3 women

August 21, 2013

ALBANY - A state trooper in northern New York faces the first of three trials this fall on charges he attacked three women over the past five years.

Trevor Donah is accused of domestic violence including rapes, assaults, choking and unlawfully holding the women against their will. The first case is scheduled to start Oct. 28 in Clinton County Court. Donah is accused of assault, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment stemming from a 2008 encounter.

The five-year veteran has remained on the State Police payroll but suspended from work since March, following a 30-day unpaid suspension after his arrest. He's free on bail.

"We're going to vigorously defend these charges. Trooper Donah is looking forward to his day in court," defense attorney Brian Barrett said. "It's going to be decided by a judge and jury."

Barrett requested three separate trials on ground that three sets of allegations in one trial would be prejudicial.

Judge Patrick McGill agreed.

Authorities say the encounters between Donah and the women occurred while the Plattsburgh trooper was off-duty. State Police say their internal investigation is pending.

The trials are in chronological order, the first from the earliest encounters, said Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champagne, who was named special prosecutor for the case and is from the next county. "They were women he had relationships with," he said.

Both attorneys said they agreed to discuss little publicly about the case in advance.

State police announced Donah's arrest in February. They said it was the result of their own investigation into allegations by two of the women. In a subsequent indictment, he was accused of attacking the third woman.